In a new report the Alabama Supreme Court recommends moving four judgeships from Jefferson County to lessen the court workload in Mobile and Madison counties.

The March 6 report to the Alabama Legislature proposes moving three circuit judgeships and one district judgeship from Jefferson County. Mobile County would get two new circuit judges under the plan and one would go to Madison County.

Madison County would also get a district judgeship currently based in Jefferson County and Mobile would get a district judgeship now in Walker County.

No timetable is given in the report and the
decision rests with the Alabama Legislature.

Jefferson County has seen a steady drop in civil case filings in recent years, al.com reporter Kent Faulk wrote in January.

For the last three years new civil court filings in Jefferson County have steadily dropped _ from about 8,000 new cases filed in 2010, to about 6,000 in 2012, Scott Vowell told The News, just before he retired in January as presiding Jefferson County Circuit Court judge.

Jefferson County has a case management system that has helped clear dockets despite cutbacks, particularly civil dockets, The News reported. At one point a civil court case would take several years to reach a conclusion, but now the average disposition time is less than one year from the time a case is filed, Vowell said in the interview.

Vowell said then he expected a movement in the Alabama Legislature this year to re-allocate judicial resources.

While Vowell agrees with the process, he hoped it wouldn't hurt Jefferson County, The News reported.

"I hope that the county won't be punished because we are efficient," Vowell said in January.

Karen Hall, presiding judge of the Madison County Circuit Court, said Friday the state's judges have been working on the issue of allocation for the past 10 years, when it became clear budget cuts would reduce the number of new judgeships created. Hall said discussions focused on reallocating judgeships, upon a judge's death or retirement, from counties where the caseloads weren't as pressing.

The issue has not been resolved, though the past few Alabama chief justices have worked on it, Hall said, adding legislators made it clear to the judicial leadership that they would come up with a reallocation plan if the judges did not.

"We are encouraged by the recommendations," Hall said. "For many years now we've been told (Madison County) has been either first or second, based on filings and caseloads, in the state as it related to the need for additional circuit judges.

"We will work with Chief Justice Moore and the Legislature in any way we can to make sure this occurs in the best way possible for all the citizens of the state."

Mike Cason and Kent Faulk, reporters for The Birmingham News and al.com contributed to this story.